Rats? A Cat? Something Else? What killed my chickens?

[BigBlueHen53]

Could an owl get in? I understand they eat heads and are in fact called "head-hunters" in some quarters.

 

[McChooky]

On Wednesday morning I found my Delaware hen, Greta, dead in the run. She was laid out and something had consumed some of her face and there was blood around her vent area. For the last few months, I'd been thinking she was headed for heart failure, so I thought "Oh, she died and some lucky rat went to work."

Then Thursday morning I found another Delaware dead. Same half-eaten face. But this hen was clearly killed. I found blood spatter where she'd been roosting (though no sign of blood anywhere else?!), and she looked like she'd been possibly dragged to where I found her. (She was not super near a wall or other indications that something tried to take her out of the coop).

So . . . what did this?!

My main association with predators in the night is a total massacre. This animal (or animals) is just taking one chicken at a time, and just eating the face and maybe a bit of the body.

I know that rats can get into my chicken area. My chickens do not have a proper rat-proof coop---they roost on branches and bars in the run. I did a big inspection of the run yesterday and found to my horror that a section of wire that looked secure was actually totally detached from the board, meaning there was a huge (like 2 foot) section of wire that an animal could have crawled through. There is a ferral cat that comes through my property and spends a lot of time around my chicken run (because it hunts the rats), but I've never seen it in my run or try to get in my run.

I know that there could be other predators (minks, weasels, etc) that are around but I've just never seen them.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Just one bird killed, face eaten but that's about it? Could a rat take out not one but two large hens (we're talking 6 pound ladies)?

I spent last night in a hammock in the run with my grumpiest barn cat, so no fatalities last night. This weekend I'm going to try to cobble together a totally predator proof roosting box for the hens.

This is so stressful: I've had deaths before obviously, some of them terrible massacres, but I always knew what did it and how they got in. Having both be a mystery is really doing a number on me!

Only losing 1 at a time sounds like an aerial predator (owl) but a possum could also be suspect.They will eat the head and vent area

 

[Folly's place]

We had a rat invasion once, and they killed (beheaded) three nice pullets, ate eggs, and chewed through particle board to get there.
I think a weasel would kill many birds at once, so maybe less likely.
Apparently any predator could have gotten into your coop that night! Reinforce everything, and so sorry for your losses.
The rats left plenty of 'sign' (rat poo) which helped ID them at first too.
Our local cats, and our barn cats, never bothered the chickens, they were after rodents.
Mary

 

[McChooky]

Sewer rats are filthy animals .They'll make your chickens sick

 

[Anon112]

When you have chicks, remove feed at night, they don't eat at night but of course rats do.

Yes, I always took up the food at night.

Could an owl get in? I understand they eat heads and are in fact called "head-hunters" in some quarters.

Only losing 1 at a time sounds like an aerial predator (owl) but a possum could also be suspect.They will eat the head and vent area

I really can't see how an owl could have gotten in. We do have owls (I'm in the woods), but I really looked along the top of the run and that all seems secure (though I'm getting up on the ladder today, as I obviously just learned that wire that LOOKS secure might not actually be).

I think a weasel would kill many birds at once, so maybe less likely.
Apparently any predator could have gotten into your coop that night! Reinforce everything, and so sorry for your losses.
Mary

Yes, it's maddening knowing that there was this huge gap (for who knows how long!). Their run is getting a makeover today. Last night they were on their own and there were no fatalities, so here's hoping that the gap I closed Thursday night was the issue.

I know that once an animal realizes there's a "buffet", they will keep coming back, so I'm taking today to really go through everything for any weak points. One side of the run is very exposed to the elements, and after almost a decade there are some staples and sections of wire that are looking a bit worn.

Thank you all for your thoughts! I've got a camera set up in the run now, so if I get an image of a suspect, I'll post it here.

 

[McChooky]

I might miss a day or two here and there but I usually check it all regularly. This fall I found my steps on the raised coop were rotten so I had to replace them and the wall behind it all. Predators could have easily chewed thru that rotten wood and got inside.I was just lucky one didn't

 

[Anon112]

I might miss a day or two here and there but I usually check it all regularly. This fall I found my steps on the raised coop were rotten so I had to replace them and the wall behind it all. Predators could have easily chewed thru that rotten wood and got inside.I was just lucky one didn't

I've been doing visual inspections, but I only found the gap in the wire because I physically pulled on it. To the eye, it looked like it was secured flat. And the gap in the wall was hiding behind their dust bath. I think I need to add more "hands on" checks of the run as opposed to just keeping an eye out for holes.

 

[McChooky]

I've been doing visual inspections, but I only found the gap in the wire because I physically pulled on it. To the eye, it looked like it was secured flat. And the gap in the wall was hiding behind their dust bath. I think I need to add more "hands on" checks of the run as opposed to just keeping an eye out for holes.

If your hardware cloth isn't secured with screws and washers it can easily be pulled loose .Strips of wood works too if secured with screws.If the wood is rotten it won't be secure no matter what you do

 

[Folly's place]

So true, staples just ain't enough!

The two sides of our roofed coop/ run, on concrete, with hardware cloth stapled to the framing, 2"x4" woven wire over the lower 4', and then 1"x4" wood strips screwed to the framing over the staples. Our window hardware cloth is also staples on the inside, and then covered with screwed in wood strips.
The rats we had come in under the concrete through a crack in the old foundation, and then they moved into the walls and chewed through the interior layer of particle board.
Mary

 

[Anon112]

If your hardware cloth isn't secured with screws and washers it can easily be pulled loose .Strips of wood works too if secured with screws.If the wood is rotten it won't be secure no matter what you do

My run was built (with lots of help from my family) about 8 years ago, when I was very much a chicken newbie. I've learned a lot since then, and there are a lot of initial design mistakes that need to be fixed. Current project is getting everything secured with washers and screws. I know this will have some people clutching their pearls (and I get it!), but there are even some sections that were done with chicken wire instead of hardware cloth. I'm piece by piece taking out the chicken wire and replacing with hardware cloth. But you know, $$$$. I'm replacing from low to high, figuring that critters are more likely to try to get in at ground level.

My big project for this summer is digging around the run to put in a new apron.